Abner Misses Watson

"Abner Misses Watson"

You guys may recall Watson's artwork from last March.  His people sent me a very nice e-mail today and told me how much they love their portrait. They did say that now Abner is very jealous and wants a portrait of himself soon. He is shown above with Watson's artwork. This project was 24 x 36, it looks huge next to Abner. Thanks to Karin for sending such a cute shot. I look forward to working on Abner some day. Oh, and the title for the post and photo were taken from the name of the jpg file they sent me.... very sweet and sad.

It is Monday .... and for those Mosaic Monday followers out there I will get a post up later this afternoon/ evening to show you guys the mosaic projects I have been working on.

Happy Pet Portrait Clients

Kendahl  -  Stella

Justin & Amanda - Myra & Pinky

Kendahl  -  Stella

Thanks to Deb for Sending us these great shots this month of her cute grown up kiddos with their Art Paw Pet Portraits from the last holiday season.  I love seeing these in home shots .... keep them coming and I'll keep posting.


From e-mail:

"Hi Rebecca! 

Finally, I’m emailing you pictures of our children, their dogs and portraits that you perfectly did for us!  It was a Christmas to remember!

Thank you!

Deb & Robert Brown"

New Client Wall Pics

Buster, Ernie, Gator, Cooper
Framed and Hanging at Home

Harley, Tuffy, Logan, Braker

Keep those in home shots coming!  I love seeing my work on your walls!

A Rascal on the Wall!

Wow, I love that blog title, don't you... a Rascal on the wall indeed. Have been meaning to upload these pics a client sent me right after Thanksgiving. I worked on  a fun Holiday themed portrait of his pup Rascal. This little fellow turned 3 on Thanksgiving day I think. The project was a surprise for his wife. These fun pet people are local and even though they have a 2 legged human kiddo they still adore their fur-kid too. 

Andrea, Curly & Sammy

A couple of weeks ago I got to visit with a flickr pal that ordered a pet portrait of Curly & Sammy.  Andrea is a cyber pal that lives close to Dallas and is taking classes at SMU. She is a teacher and a devoted animal lover. I am tagging this under client walls even though these are my walls in the background. I wish you could see her entire outfit. The cute cotton summer dress was balanced well by some funky cowboy boots. I love meeting clients and need to start shooting more of them when they pick up. Sometimes I am shy about asking people to let me shoot them with their work, but this gal is a blogger and a flickr person so I knew she would probably not mind.

Lena & Ohnie Portrait In Home

"Ohnie and Lena"

© rebecca collins/ artpaw.com

Last week I received a note and photo from an old client. Thanks Ann for touching base with this terrific in home photo of your sweet Pugs. I still love the color palette on this pop art portrait project, and I love that great stone fireplace. I was very sad back in 08 to learn that Ohnie and Lena crossed over the rainbow bridge. I remember working with Ann, and her update request actually started a phrase I use all the time now and that is "Popsicle body". When we first cleaned up the background on her original  images and carved out the torsos we erased too much shoulder ( pugs are round chunky-shouldered beings) and when Ann was describing the problem she referred to the fact that their body's looked like Popsicles!  I worked some shoulder back in to their bodies and have always been careful to avoid the Popsicle look, and I always train my assistants to avoid cleaning too much shoulder away now. I learn so much from every pet portrait project, and some pups really leave a lasting impression around here. I loved the colors on this one and the very different expressions on each pup's face, you can tell they were individuals. Pugs do not all look alike to me, each one is so unique.

 Thanks Ann for the sweet note!

Later this week I will have another guest blogger. Christine Humphries Throckmorton from I heart Dogs Studio will be talking about her recent 30 dogs in 30 days project. 
I think you will find her post an inspiring must read for dog artists and dog lovers.

Vanity, Penny, Zeb

Some of you guys may remember Vanity, admiring Vanity from 08. This year I was fortunate to get to work on Zeb and Penny as well. Here are their at home pics. I really love the way Penny the Jack Russell breaks up the grouping with her tilted head, and patterned background. This is a terrific example of how different colors and backgrounds can work really well together.

Today I am at my desk putting in a few hours on the weekend.  I will be meeting with a client at 1:00 and then I am going to work on the website a bit.  Tomorrow I will have a guest blogger that writes full time and combines her love for dogs with a blogging gig for a pet insurance company.

Matisse in a Warhol Style Portrait

This is little Miss Matisse next to her recent custom Warhol styled portrait. She seems rather relaxed about the whole thing. Thanks to Kathy for this 2nd order and for sending us this great in-home shot. 

More Projects In the Home

Thanks to Linda for sending us these in home shots of her artwork hanging. You guys may recall Hank from last year.  Recently we had the opportunity to do a more playful Hank with football and Turbo kitty. This client has a love for rich colors and pattern. I love how well these two 12 x 12 prints stack  in the space above the couch. Linda is local and she dropped by about a week ago to pick up her artwork in person and she brought the Scotties biscuits. My little boy Ajax was so overwhelmed and amazed that one of these "client-people"  ( that is what he calls my patrons ) brought biscuits!  After Linda left he ran into the office and rubbed his beard on the carpet while singing a happy song.  Ajax loves the "client-people", so do I ... they are the best. I hope we get to meet a lot more local clients in 2010, and Ajax hopes they bring treats.

"Hank" ( notice the drool on ball)

© 2010 Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

"Turbo"
© 2010 Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

Happy Clients

Bob Opening His Gift

A happy client sent us this photo of her husband opening his gift on Christmas morning.  I love the colors in her bright open home. I think our artwork will fit in great.  This client was local and not too far from our studio so Lola actually hand delivered her project to her work place a few days before Christmas.

I love it when clients send us photos ... please keep them coming!

The week so far:  Well, we got back to work yesterday and now Lola is out sick with a bad cold. Today I am at my desk organizing new orders and sort of working at a snail's pace compared to the focused adrenaline high we were on before the holidays. I am so thankful to all of our terrific clients this past season and for all their friends that are now getting on-line to check out Art Paw.

Next week:  We will be creating artwork again full time and Lola is going to create a slide show video for us of all of the holiday projects.  I will post my yearly wrap up of Art Paw news and accomplishments on the blog. A lot of people start the New Year off thinking about resolutions and things they want to "fix" about themselves. There is nothing wrong with setting goals in life, but before you make a long list of things to improve upon, be sure and take a moment to write a list of all the great things you accomplished in 2009. I have a list for Art Paw, a list for my mosaics and a personal "life" list that includes minor stuff like fun travels.  I started doing this in 2008 and I find that it is great fun to go back and review previous years.

I love Meeting new Clients!

Below "Hank At Home"

I love meeting new portrait clients. Yesterday Hank's Mom dropped by to pick up her project. Hank is a lovely Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and I think my very first one. She arrived at my house with another great client from this last year and we had a lovely visit. Last night she forwarded a shot of her portrait hanging and this rounded out my week in a lovely way. I like that pretty copper colored vase below the artwork, they work very well together. Thanks to Linda for sending us a photo and so quickly! YAY!

When One Pet Portrait Just won't do

Twinkle, Sweetpea, Figment, Milo, Romeo and Sherman

When one pet portrait is not enough the answer is simple ... order several and do a grouping. This is a project I did a few years ago for Sherman the bulldog and pals. I love this office shot even though the light from above has created a soft effect on the artwork. The cool Pottery Barn desk and morning sunshine make this a great interior shot. I see this photo and think instead of paying bills I would want to roll around on the floor with the dog toys and Sherman. Thanks to Beverly for letting us post this great home shot.

Project Challenges:
Twinkle the parakeet was a fun challenge as the original photo had very little detail ( see below). This project taught me the importance of not allowing yourself to be limited by your original snapshots. For Twinkle's artwork I studied bird books and did a bit of research to see what detail was missing and then I painted it in using a variety of reference photos.

"Twinkle" Original photo above

"Sherman"

Tyson At Home!

"Tyson At Home"

My most recent 54 x 34 inch portrait client just sent me a photograph of her work hanging in the home. Her house looks much like the lovely stock photos we sometimes use for promotional images. I am impressed that there is the perfect amount of wall space on the sides of the piece. In our tiny 1940's bungalow this piece looked so massive while in this modern and spacious home it looks like just the perfect fit. Thanks to Tyson's Mom for sending this on over .... I love having authentic in home shots!

For more home decorating ideas check out the recent video that Lola helped me put together, well ok Lola actually put it together, but I showed her how and I culled the images. In this video we try to show that Art Paw Pet portraits can work in any room and on any wall.

Dog and Cat Art Portfolio from Rebecca Collins on Vimeo.

More Dog Art On the Walls

"Walter and Maia" with Walter and Maia

Thanks to Katy for sending us this terrific shot of her pet portrait at home. Katy has requested that we create a Gift Shop Page with her artwork. That will actually be a terrific task for Lola to do on Monday since she is starting back with us next week.

I love it when clients send us pics of their pups next to their artwork. We have a "client walls" section here on the blog and anyone that sends us at home photos will have their work added to that section of the Art Dog Blog. When I receive at home pics during my busy week it allows me to slow down for a second or two and really remember why I do what I do. Art Paw is really all about pets, home, love and a celebration of that love. If it was just about doggy art I would have gotten bored with it years ago, nope Art Paw is about pets and the humans that love them.

You guys have a great weekend ...take the dogs to the park!

Taz & Josie at Home

"Josie and Taz the kitty"

This client was just a lot of fun. She was into artistic crops and she was very easy to work with. She says they love the prints and they make her and her husband giggle because Josie is looking so sweet and Taz, well the kitty is a wee bit intense with those large demanding eyes. Hanging side by side the contrast between the easy going pup and the more intense kitty is rather amusing. I think her exact words were "kitty from hell" or something of that nature. Anyway, thanks again Sarah and thanks for sending us the at home pic.

Dog Art For Baby's Room

Thanks to Jenn for sending us these great shots of Luna at home. I enjoyed working on this piece. It was a fun challenge. My own color pallet tends to lean towards deep masculine reds, oranges and vibrant hues. It was really fun trying to work in softer tones that would do well on pink walls. This background combo of aqua & yellow was created for Luna and I love it. A few other clients have since requested it ( check out Norm below). There is something great about how the yellow seems to glow. You can see an earlier post about Luna in November's archives.

If you are a client reading this, please send us your photos of your artwork at home. I love getting these snapshots. It always reminds me of why I really do enjoy working 12 hour days.

Frank, Viv, Lucy & Bo at Home

34 x 54 stretched canvas

Some of you may recall the extra large German Shepherd canvas I was working on back in October. Well Frank & the gang are hanging at home and their humans sent me a great shot this morning. If you check out the original post you will see that this piece really evolved quite a bit. My client was a big part of helping me get this design finalized. With her creative input the final work turned out amazing I think. Thanks again to Mimi & Kit for letting us play with their stunning pups.

Artwork for Baby Nursery

"Drifter the Dalmatian at home"

In the past I have worked with many expectant Moms and just this last summer I had several pieces that were created for baby nurseries. I love families that honor their 4 legged kids when the real deal comes along. Too often the family pet can get lost in the shuffle of excitement when a new baby arrives. I know all of my clients have huge hearts and are able to celebrate all the loves in their abundant lives. I also know these babies will grow into caring young people that understand how to respect and get along with animals.

Thanks to Audrey for sending us this great shot. Love that dark chocolate changing table. The pale blues in this piece work well for the room and the rich red border is nice and masculine for a growing baby boy.

What to do with Cathedral ceilings? Pet Portraits of course!

"Daisy & Ginger at Home"

On some occasions we have the pleasure of working with clients that have a very specific nook to fill, and portrait size needs that are off the map so to speak. This custom project was for 2 prints that measured 60 inches wide by 34 inches tall. Their original proofing page is here: http://artpaw.com/proofpages/proof_moore3.html.
One studio visit later and several design tweaks later we came up with the portraits you see above. It was a lot of fun to have Brandy & Michael in the studio to watch over my shoulder as I made a few changes on the fly. Brandy said they had to borrow a huge ladder to hang these pieces.

Bruno's Puggie Art At Home

"Shelley & Bruno at Home"
24 x24 pet portrait on canvas

Thanks so much to Shelley for sending us this great shot at home with Bruno. You got me blogging again ... yay! Love Love Love, that yellow wall. The colors all work great together. I would have hung the piece about 4 inches lower, but that is just me. You usually want art in the living room to be close to eye level while sitting. Of course that can create trouble when really tall people sit on the couch and lean back to the wall, bumping the artwork. Over the couch is a tough spot, in fact I have a piece over my sofa right now that is really too high. It does not help that I live with someone that is over 6ft tall ... his eye level is much higher than mine.

I am still settling in from our trip, playing with video and photos. I am back at work today and working hard to get caught up. I will be posting new art and trip pics soon.